


Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Rome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-03
Updated: 2007-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-25 07:45:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1639652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Vorenus had once spoke of how Niobe's perfume never quite left his nostrils even after they were apart for long periods of time and Pullo now knew that the smell and feel and shadow of Vorenus had constantly surrounded him since finding Caesar's standard had cemented their relationship."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lay Your Weary Head To Rest

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Emerald Embers

 

 

For Titus Pullo what normally would have been a realization of affection or love was instead a gradual understanding of why he had killed Lucius Vorenus's adulterous brother-in-law. Pullo had killed many men in his life. He had slaughtered them on the battlefield, beaten them to death in alleys and slashed them in unsavory dwellings. The men he had killed as a solider were killed because that was his job and as far as jobs that he was suited for, being a solider was the best by far. He felt no great allegiance to any senator, councilor or emperor and took no personal glory in destroying an opposing army. The men he killed off the battlefield were killed out of personal duty, boredom or because while he could take off the uniform he could not put aside the pit of anger that rested in his soul since becoming a solider. Evander was the only one that was different. He had killed Evander because Evander had dishonored Vorenus and it tore at some deep part of Pullo's soul to see his friend so dishonored.

It soon came to pass that Vorenus was all he could think about or more to the point that he was conscious of how often his thoughts strayed to Vorenus. His time in the countryside with Eirene was short lived and he soon found himself back in Rome and in the courtyard of Vorenus's residence. He was greeted with the news of what had happened to Niobe and unable to face Vorenus given his knowledge of Niobe's deception he wandered into the squalor that so sickeningly felt like home to him. The back alleys of Rome seemed barely affected by Caesar's assassination and Pullo found it easy to temporarily drown himself in wine and women.

That he eventually made it back to Vorenus's and this time found it in himself to enter the apartment seemed just as inevitable. The apartment stank and was empty except for Vorenus who was sitting at his table when Pullo entered. The centurion was a shadow of his former self and Pullo was unable to swallow the gasp that arose from his throat at the site. Vorenus did not move or speak even after Pullo came fully into the small beam of light that shone in through the closed windows. Pullo stood at attention on the other side of the table from the grieving man while attempting to patiently wait for some small sign of recognition. When no sign came Pullo gave up and walked around the table until he was standing in front of the seated Vorenus. He had barely reached out and placed his hand on Vorenus's shoulder before the other man broke down sobbing. The hand that he had placed on the shoulder moved round to his back and he reached his other arm so that he was fully embracing him. Vorenus reached his arms up and circled them around Pullo's waist. They stayed like that until Vorenus ceased crying and let go of Pullo.

He finally spoke and though the three words came as no surprise to Pullo the bitter, heartbroken tone they were spoken in brought him to his knees.

"She is gone."

Pullo kneeled in front of the seated Vorenus and fruitlessly searched for something to say. It did not take him long to realize he had no words. The only person whose loss could affect him so was the person he was trying to comfort. He stared straight into the eyes of the man he had gladly killed for, would kill for again and owed a thousand times over for saving his life and prayed to the gods for some way other then words of easing Vorenus's pain. He could only think of the one release that worked for him when no amount of wine stopped the angry voices in his head. It was not something he was skilled at doing himself but his frantic rational was that anything one had had done to themselves numerous times should be simple to emulate. Taking a deep breath he started to push up the fabric on Vorenus's legs exposing his pale thighs. Vorenus looked confused and shocked as Pullo's hands found their way to the top of Vorenus's legs and then between them.

The room was silent when Pullo found his target and even when Vorenus became hard from Pullo's touch he made no sound. It was not until Pullo replaced his hands with his mouth did Vorenus allow himself to let out a choked moan. The moan emboldened Pullo who had already found that his rational had been correct and he was quite skilled at his current task. As his mouth sunk lower onto Vorenus and the musky smell of his commander surrounded him he came to peace with the fact that he was also enjoying himself. He thought of all the nights Vorenus had slept beside him and how his scent was as familiar to Pullo as his own. Vorenus had once spoke of how Niobe's perfume never quite left his nostrils even after they were apart for long periods of time and Pullo now knew that the smell and feel and shadow of Vorenus had constantly surrounded him since finding Caesar's standard had cemented their relationship.

As Pullo's paced increased, Vorenus placed a hand behind Pullo's head and harshly pulled on the short bristles of hair that barely rested on his neck. Pullo grew hard at this increased contact and just as Vorenus began to come in his mouth, Pullo dropped his hands down and quickly took care of himself. The two men released their contact of each other as they recovered. Pullo was the first to stand as he walked over to the jug of water and took several long sips. He felt Vorenus behind him and prepared himself for anything from a beating to another go at what they had just done. What he least expected was for Vorenus to sharply turn him around so that they were facing each other and violently press his lips to Pullo's own. Vorenus forcefully pushed Pullo back against the counter and Pullo just as forcefully pushed Vorenus back over to the table and knocked him so hard against that the table crashed over on its side. This caused both men to lose their balance and break apart.

"I came back. For you."

Vorenus nodded and went back over to sit in his chair, not bothering to right the table. Pullo sighed, picked the table up and set it right. He then moved towards the door having nothing left to say or do. His hand was on the doorknob when Vorenus cleared his throat. Pullo stood and waited for him to speak. No words came as Vorenus seemed incapable of doing anything more then placing his hands on his knees and giving Pullo a fleeting look of gratitude before looking back down at the floor.

Pullo walked back over, swept the hair off Vorenus's forehead and placed a brief kiss there. He walked out immediately afterwards and settled in to his familiar sleeping spot in the courtyard. He could smell and taste and feel Vorenus all over him and said a silent prayer of thanks to the gods that he would for the rest of his life.

 


End file.
